Jordan, Kenya to establish joint business council

AMMAN — Jordan and Kenya on Thursday agreed to establish a joint business council to exchange economic information and feasibility studies, in addition to organising the Jordanian-Kenyan business forum, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The agreement came during the closing ceremony of the Jordanian-Kenyan trade committee’s first session, headed by Trade Minister Yarub Qudah and his Kenyan counterpart Adan Mohamed.

The committee stressed the importance of enhancing bilateral cooperation in various fields and building on the outcomes of His Majesty King Abdullah’s visit to Kenya last year, where he met with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Jordan has recently opened an embassy in the African country as part of a plan to outreach new markets as its traditional markets and routes in the region are almost blocked due to regional violence.   

The taskforce also highlighted the need to increase bilateral trade, which is still insufficient “despite numerous opportunities available”.  They called on measures to stimulate the private sector in order to benefit from existing agreements and bilateral visits, Petra said.

The committee’s discussions, which lasted for three days, covered cooperation in trade, investment and industry, in addition to issues related to small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Qudah said the discussions were of great importance as officials  negotiated a free trade zone to enhance ties and diversify trade activities.

According to Petra, Jordanian participants in the meetings commended the positive outcomes of the “Jordanian week” held in Nairobi in December last year, which provided a platform for increasing cooperation between both private sector entities in bith countries.